BJP leader dubs Kejriwal 'anti-Hindu' over firecracker ban in Delhi

BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga on Thursday targeted the Delhi government over the ban on bursting of firecrackers on Diwali in Delhi with a video of the supporters of newly-appointed minister Raj Kumar Anand celebrating by lighting firecrackers at his residence.

Hitting out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the BJP leader accused him of being anti-Hindu.

Posting a video of the occasion on Twitter, Bagga wrote, "If Hindus burn crackers on Diwali, there will be pollution. Arvind Kejriwal will send them to jail, but if the firecrackers are burnt in celebration of becoming a minister of Kejriwal, oxygen will come out of it."

"Kejriwal, your anti-Hindu face stands exposed again. You have a problem with Diwali, not with the firecracker," Bagga added.

Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday that bursting of firecrackers on Diwali in Delhi will attract jail term up to six months and a fine of Rs 200.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the production, storage and sale of firecrackers in the capital will be punishable with a fine of up to Rs 5,000 and three years in jail under Section 9B of the Explosives Act.

In September, the city government re-imposed a complete ban on the production, sale and use of all types of firecrackers till January 1, including on Diwali, a practice it has been following for the last two years.
Rai said a public awareness campaign, "Diye Jalao Patakhe Nahi", will be launched on October 21.

The Delhi government will light 51,000 diyas at Central Park in Connaught Place on Friday.